Habitat, Life Cycles, and Sustainable Pest Control
Tuesday, December 9, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm PST
Simultaneous Spanish interpretation is offered for this event!
Build stronger, sustainable pest management systems using biological control! Join us for an in-depth look at crop pests that can be managed using natural enemy arthropods. We'll examine the characteristics and life cycles of beneficial organisms and their prey, and learn how to incorporate habitat that helps natural enemies thrive.
Speakers: Kimberly Horton, Agronomy Manager at Taylor Farming, and Suzanne Wainwright-Evans, Buglady Consulting
Upon completion, participants will be able to:
- Explain how cover crops, in-field habitat patches, and perennial hedgerows provide food and refuge for natural enemies (aka beneficial insects, bees, and predatory mites) that support sustainable pest management.
- Describe how regular scouting helps identify pest issues early, allowing timely use of sustainable control practices, including beneficial insect releases, trap crops, and the judicious use of pesticides.
- Identify and differentiate key insect and mite pests of greenhouse and field-grown vegetables, including thrips, whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, and broad mites, using diagnostic features and characteristic plant damage.
- Describe the life cycles and developmental stages of thrips, whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, and broad mites.
- Identify beneficial organisms commonly found in these systems, such as predatory flies, ladybird beetles, parasitoids, lacewings, predatory true bugs, and predatory mites.
- Relate pest and beneficial insect biology to the timing and effectiveness of monitoring, biological control, and other integrated pest management (IPM) strategies.
- Apply diagnostic and life cycle knowledge to improve decision-making for sustainable pest control in vegetable and greenhouse production systems.
We are offering 1.5 CE Credits for this webinar through California Department of Pesticide Regulation
Header Photo: Lacewing larva eating whiteflies by Gary Chang